Capsule computer and delivery device



Dec. 29, 1953 w. A. WINNEBERGER 2,664,224

CAPSULE COMPUTER AND DELIVERY DEVICE Filed Aug. 15, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORZVEX Patented Dec. 29, 1953 TED STATES PATENT OFF I CE CAPSULE COMPUTER DELIVERY DEVICE My invention relates to a new anduseiul cap sule computer and delivery device and has for one of its objects to provide an exceedingly simpleand effective device which is relatively small,

compact, light in weight and readily portable whereby it may be employed by a druggist upon his prescription bench, when compounding capsules, tablets, pills and the like, to expedite his work and reduce to a minimum the likelihood of making and dispensing more or less than the required number of articles ordered.

Often during the compounding of medicinal capsules, pills and the like, a druggist is so enrossed with his work that he misses count of the articles completed and it becomes necessary to stop, possibly several times, to reckon the number of finished individual items, resulting in considerable loss of time. Therefore, another object of this invention is to produce a device having a plurality of compartments in which individual articles are separately placed for indicating or computing the number of such articles by viewing the device to ascertain the number of filled compartments which may be arranged in rows of predetermined numbers to assist the counting performance. The device may also beutilized in computing the number of any small articles by dropping them one at a time intothe compartments until certain ones of said compartments are occupied, as one row, two rows or any certain number of rows and a fraction of another row.

Unless a drug store is especially well equipped with apparatus for handling medicinal items, such as capsules, in particular, pills, tablets and the like, these items are usually placedupon thebench and then picked up, one at a time, or placed in some make-shift pouring appliance and placed or dumped into a container, such as a box orbottle. To overcome these objectionablefeatures, another object of the present invention is to provide a tray to receive the articles after-being computed, said tray having a spout whereby the articles may be poured as a groupfrom the tray in one operation.

A further object of this invention is to produce a device of the kind mentioned comprised of a tray, provided with a spout, slidably connected to a footed and compartmented cradle, said tray initially functioning as a bottom for the cradle body and subsequently acting as a gathering and dispensing medium to direct articles formerly within the cradle into a suitable container in which they are delivered to a customer.

A still further object of the invention is to pro duce an article computer and deliverydevice con- 2 sisting of a. cradle member including a front end wall, side walls, a rear end wall having aportion extending below the plane of the front end and sidewalls to function as a leg or-foot, front ofiset from the outside surIacc-s of their respective side walls and partitions between the end and side walls toform compartments, and a tray member including a bottom and side walls having a normally open rear end closed by the rear end Wall of the cradle member'and provided with a spout at the forward end, said tray member being vertically. slidablyconnected to the cradle member with a snug iorcefit whereby the tray member may be held in either an elevated or depressed position relative to said cradle member to function as a bottom for the cradle member ora pouring medium for articles which have descended from said cradle member due-to depression of. said tray member.

With the above and other objects in view this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then. designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention, appertainsmay understand how to-make and usethe same, I will. describe its con.-

struction in detail, referring by numerals to. the

accompanyingdrawings forming a part hereof, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a top. plan view of a capsule counter and delivery device constructed in. accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is asideelevation thereof with the, tray elevated so thedevice is ready for use as. a. come puter and holder for articles. in individual. separate, compartments.

Fig.3 isasection on the linev 3-3 ofFig. l with the. tray member inthe elevated. position.

Fig. 4. is. a. similar view showing the; tray. memeber depressed.

Fig. 5 is. aview in perspective. and looking at the front end of the. devicev while in a tilted posi tion for the pouring operation.

Fig. 6- is an exploded view, inperspective, with portionsbroken away and shown in section to illustrate the assembling relation of the'two members;

In carrying out my invention as herein embodied l0 represents the upper or cradle and supporting member and H- is the companion or tray member vertically slidably mounted within portions of said cradle member and. supported by the latter due to a force fit between the members.

The cradle l=0includes a body I2 comprised of a front end wall l3, parallel side Walls I l, a rear end wall [5, the lower portion of which projects below the plane of the bottom edges of the front end and side walls, and longitudinal and transverse partitions l8 and 11, respectively, dividing the interior of the body into a plurality of rows of separate and individual compartments I8. The tops and bottoms of all of said compartments are normally open and the upper edges or the walls and partitions are, preferably, hush or in the same plane.

The rear end wall i extends a sufiicient distance below the lower edges or the other walls of the body to also function as one or the rear supporting leg or foot. The front end or the body is supported by front side legs l9 which are ori'set laterally from the body side walls M to form vertical shoulders opposed to the forward or inner face of the rear wall l5 and its lower portion or pendant extension and spaced a definite distance therefrom.

The tray l l consists of a bottom 21, perpendicular side walls 22 and a forwardly extending spout 23, of any suitable configuration, pro3ecting rrom the iorward portion or end OI said bottom. The front and rear enos oi' the tray are normally open and the rear edge or the bottom zl is substantially the same distance from the forward edges of the side walls as that between the inner face or the rear wall Id and the shoulder 211 so that portions or the tray have a force fit with said rear wall and shoulders. In addition the tray side walls 2r. telescope on the exteriors or the cradle side walls 14 with a force fit. Also the side edges of the tray bottom may be notched at 24 contiguous the 10rward edges of the tray side walls whereby the border edges of said notches may engage the forward side legs with a iorce ht. Zi'hus it will be apparent that the tray bottom snugly but forcibly siidably fits within the legs or the cradle and the tray side walls are similarly arranged with relation to the cradle side walls and the shoulders 2:3 and said tray side walls are or sufficient height to overlap the cradle side walls whether the tray is elevated, Fig. 3, or depressed as depicted in Fig. 4. when the tray is in the lower position it is level with the bottom ends of the rront side legs is and that portion of the cradle rear wall which iunctions as the rear leg.

In practice, the tray is elevated, as shown in Figs. 1, 2. and 3, so that the bottoms of all or the compartments are closed and because of the force fit between the cradle and tray the latter will remain elevated until some outside force is applied thereto. As capsules 25, or other articles, are made up they are individually placed in separate compartments, Fig. 3, until a desired number of the compartments are occupied thus computing or indicating the required number without actually having to count the articles. Upon completion or" the order, the tray sides are pushed down by hand until the tray, as a whole, is depressed, l -igs. 4 and 5, at which time the articles will descend with the tray bottom and rest thereon as indicated in Fig. 4. As the tray sides are higher than the distance between the bottom of the cradle body and the lower ends of the legs and since the pendent extension of the cradle rear wall is as long as the legs Hi, the sides and rear of the tray will be continuously closed. By grasping the sides of the device, especially the tray side walls, between the thumb and fingers and tilting the device with the spout downwardly the articles can be readily poured into a container, such as a bottle or box, without the likelihood of 4 spilling, and delivered to a customer with the foil Knowledge that the proper number of articles are in the container.

The device can be manufactured from any suitable material and if made from any of the well known plastics it will be neat in appearance, easily maintained in a sanitary condition, light in weight for ready manipulation, and compact so that it may be stored in a small space.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction hereih shown and described as these may be varied within the scope of the appended claims without departing IlOlll the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and useful is:

l. A capsule computer and delivery device comprising a compartmented cradle having a rear wall also functioning as a rear leg, front side legs at the iorward end or said body, and a tray having a spout at the Iorward end and perpendicular side walls ,sald tray forcibly vertically siiuaoly mounted on the cradle in a position whereby the rear end of the tray is closed by the cradle rear wall and the tray side walls overlap the cradle side walls and whereby the tray may be temporarily held in an elevated position to iuiiction as the bottom 10]. the compartmehted cradle and depressed to provide an exit under the cradle leading to the spout while the sides and rear remain closed.

2. in a device of the character described, a cradle, and a tray cooperatively vertically slidably connected to said cradle, said cradle comprising a compartmented body including a rront end wall and side walls all OI the same height and a rear end wall having its upper edge in the same plane as the upper edges or said iroiit and side walls and provided with a portion extending below the lower edges or said iront and $10.8 walls, said extending portion functioning as a rear leg Ior the cradle, front side legs on the body oiiset relative to the oracle side walls, and shoulders formed by the rear surfaces or said from side legs and opposed to the inner surface or the cradle rear wall, said tray comprising a bottom wall, perpendicular side walls and a spout at the 'l'orward end, both ends or said tray being normally open, the distance between the forward ends of the tray sides and the rear end of the tray bottom being substantially the same as the distance between the shoulders and the inner surlace of the cradle rear wall, said shoulders and inner surface snugly and iorcibly ritting the forward edges of the tray side walls and rear edge of the bottom, respectively, to maintain the tray in an elevated position whereby the bottom wall acts at a bottom for the cradle body and in a depressed position to cause articles to travel therein towards the spout when the device is tilted, the tray side walls telescoping and overlapping the exterior races of the cradle side walls.

3. The structure according to claim 2 wherein the tray bottom is notched at both sides contiguous the forward ends of the tray side walls to receive the front side legs of the cradle, the edges or" said notches having a force fit with said front side legs of the cradle.

4. The structure according to claim 2 wherein the distance between the exterior surfaces of the cradle side walls is the same as the distance between the interior surfaces of the tray side walls to provide a force fit between the coasting side walls.

5. In a device of the character described, a

cradle including a body having longitudinal and transverse partitions within the same to divide the interior thereof into rows of individual compartments open at the top and bottom, said body including a rear wall extending below the bottom thereof to function as a support for the rear end of the cradle, legs at the forward end of the body to support the forward end of said cradle, said cradle being located above the surface on which the rear wall and legs are resting, and a tray having a spout at one end, said tray being forcibly slidably connected to the rear wall and legs of the cradle whereby the tray is tem- 6 porarily held in an elevated position to function as the bottom of the cradle and is forcibly depressed while the cradle remains at rest to provide an opening communicating with the spout.

WILLIAM A. WINNEBERGER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 316,638 Moore Apr. 28, 1885 2,530,009 Fields Nov. 14. 1950 

